When We Were Young (Chapter 2)
by GhostTownAngel
Summary: Chapter two! Just a continuation of Lovina and Isabel's time together, I'll add some more Feliciana stuff later!


A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed my first chapter! Like I said, it's my first one ever, so I'm glad I did a good job! As always, I'll leave translations in the end, and sorry if they're wrong, though they shouldn't be because I'm using Google Translate...?

Enjoy! 3

* * *

"Buenos dias, sol!*"

"Hm~?" Lovina sat up, her hair a wild mess, she forced one eye open and glared at the Spanish woman.

"Rom-?"

She had slammed her head back into the pillow, grumbling loudly.

"Roma it's time to wake up!"

She could hear the curtains being pushed to the side, letting the sunlight in.

"No! Let me sleep!"

"Lo siento* Roma! It's time to get up! I expect you to be up and dressed when I get back!"

She waited until the door clicked closed and her footsteps faded away.

"Isabel?" she sat up and slipped her headband on, a scary looking smile spreading across her face. "Today's the day~!" she cheered, and it was indeed a day of celebration. Today was Isabel's birthday, and the anniversary of the day she came here.

She kicked in her sheets and rolled onto her floor. "Ouch! Dammit!" she glared at the sheet around her leg and kicked it away. "Damn blankets." She could feel her cheeks growing red, and she sat up, fishing through the mess under her bed for the small red box.

"Gotcha." she pulled it out and put it on top of her bed, standing to get dressed. Despite the darkening bruise on her forehead and the new mess on her floor, she was happy.

She pulled the green dress from the closet, a favorite of Isabel's.

"Dios mio, Roma! you look amazing! Muy bonito!"

Lovina held the dress to her chest and squealed, bouncing in place. God, she was such an awesome person. She could almost see Isabel's smile when she opened her present, and then Lovina would get a ton of tomatoes.

Oh God the tomatoes.

"Roma, I have to go to the store, okay? No one in, no one out!"

Lovina stuck her head out. "Okay!" Perfect! Now she could make herself look wonderful, maybe she'd even clean.

She tossed the dress on and attempted to make her hair stay in one place. She left her room in a rush, almost tripping over the sheet again.

"Damn!" she wanted to burn it. Badly.

She was turning nine next month, but was still pretty short.

With help from a broom handle and a step stool, she got a pan down from the hanging rack. She broke a few eggs into it once it was hot enough and sprayed down with the non-stick spray.

She turned the handle away from the edge of the oven and ran to open the windows.

She smiled a bit at it, remembering when she first got here, how badly she wanted to escape through them.

"Okay, how did Isabel do this?" she thought aloud, holding a spatula in one hand, and the handle of the pan in the other.  
She poked at the yolk in the center, and watched it burst like a bubble and bleed out into the edges of the pan. She flipped it over and started to break the pieces apart.  
"Hola Isabel, it's-"  
Lovina threw the spatula at the man who had opened the door, screaming .  
"Huh?" The man looked at her with wide eyes. "Who are-?"  
"Leave now!" Lovina screeched, running to the man and connecting her head with his groin.  
"Ay!" he shouted, the loud noise only scaring her further. "What was that for?" he glared.  
She stared at him for a second, her mouth hanging open in shock before taking a deep breath and screaming at the top of her lungs. "Stranger danger! Stranger danger!"  
"No! Shh!" He tried to keep her quiet. "Stop it!"  
"Stranger danger!" she howled, running into Isabel's room. "Fuego*! Ayúdame*!"

"Okay, there's no need for that now!" he smiled and laughed nervously as people started to stop on the sidewalk, looking at him with brows raised.  
"There's nothing wrong here!" he laughed. "She's just being stubborn, that's all. You know kids." He laughed again, and glared down the hall when one of Isabel's shoes smacked against his head.  
"That's completely unnecessary!" he barked. "Who are you and why are you in Isabel's house?"  
He looked at the child, wide, terrified eyes, though angry. Her cheeks were puffed up and red just like-  
"Wait, Roma?"  
Lovina froze, one hand on the door, another holding Isabel's other shoe. "Che cosa*?"  
"Vargas, si?" He crouched and smiled at her, trying to show her that he wasn't scary.  
"You have two brothers, and a sister."  
"Liar!" she yelled. "I don't have family! I have Isabel and that's it!" her eyes started to water. "You can't take me away from her!" she sobbed, throwing the other shoe. "Leave me alone!"  
"What?" He dodged the shoe. "I don't want to take you away! I'm Isabel's brother!"  
Only one of her eyes was looking at him now, the rest of her hidden behind the door. "Really?"  
"Si! My name is Antonio. Isabel is my sister..."  
Lovina glared and her attention snapped to the stove. "Oh no!"  
She ran past him and climbed up the stool again, glaring into the pan. "Crap."  
She turned quickly and glared at the man. "You made me mess it all up!" she glared, her eyes burning into Antonio's.  
"Lo siento, I didn't mean to..." he stood and walked to her, dumping the eggs down the sink and washing the pan. "I can help you make more if you want to."

She crossed her arms at him and glared, cheeks still red. "Hmph."

"You shouldn't be using the stove without a grown up, you know." he laughed.  
"S-shut up!" she barked, and recoiled, Isabel taught her never to use that word, it was mean.

"She never mentioned company either..." he sighed. "And she left the door unlocked, how strange of her."  
"Don't be mean to her!" she commanded.  
"I'm not being mean," he laughed, setting the clean pan on the counter. "She's my sister, at any rate, don't I have the right to?"  
He smiled at her sweetly and Lovina seethed.  
"Don't mock me you- you..." She had to think of the meanest word she could, and settled on one she heard on TV once. "Bastard!"

Antonio didn't react, he just ruffled her hair and pinched a cheek. "So cute~! Just like your brother."

"I don't have a brother, bastard." she hissed, slapping his hand away, maybe if she called him that enough, he'd be offended.

"Si, you do. And a sister too."

"Do not."

"Do too." he beamed. "Your brothers are muy lindo*!" he sighed dreamily. "Feliciano and Lovino."

This guy was sick, he even made names for the delusions.

"I don't believe you."

"Maybe you'll meet them one day." he sighed, his face suddenly becoming serious. "You really didn't know?"

She shook her head. "No..."

"Roma! I'm home!"

No one moved when she walked in. "Roma, why are the windows open- Antonio!" she cried, dropping everything and running into his arms. They spoke in some other language for awhile before Antonio looked at her.  
"I didn't know you had company."

"Si! This is Lovina! Isn't she adorable?"

"Si! She's got a good throwing arm too." he laughed.

Lovina hopped down from the stool she was standing on and stormed back into her room.

"Roma?" Isabel called.

She spoke to Antonio for a while before Isabel finally came to check on Lovina.

"Roma? Are you sleeping?"

She didn't move, she just lay on her floor next to her bed, the tears now dry, though her eyes still stung.

"Yes." she sniffed.

"Oh, Roma!" she cooed. "Tell me why you're so upset." She picked the smaller girl up with ease and sat on her bed, holding her head to her shoulder and rocking back and forth.

"I'm not a baby!" she fussed. "Don't rock me!"

"I'm sorry, Roma. Tell me, please?"

Lovina did her best not to look into her eyes, she knew she'd melt.

"It's nothing." she lied, and Isabel only started rocking her again. "I won't stop until you tell me." she promised.

"Fusosososo~" she chanted.

"What the hell are you doing?" Lovina barked.

"It's a magical charm, so you'll feel better!" She replied. "Unless tomatoes would do a better job."

The answer was yes. The whole time, that must've been what she wanted. Tomatoes would make her happy, they were red and shiny like Isabel's room, and the tops were leafy green like the headband she had been given, like her guardian's eyes.

"How about we pick some tomatoes, eh? They should be about ripe now."

Lovina hopped down from Isabel's lap and ran out of the room.  
"Wait, Roma! Shouldn't you change your dress first?"

She froze, one hand above the door knob. She didn't even notice until now.  
She walked coolly back into her room. "Si. I guess I just forgot."

Isabel stretched and yawned. "That's always been my favorite dress on you, you know."

"I know." she replied.

"So why'd you wear it? What's the special occasion?"

Lovina spun around, fuming mad again and downright shocked.

"I don't think I'll have time to play Princess with you today." she sighed.

"It's not for playing! I did it for your birthday, stupid!"

Isabel blinked. "My...birth...day?"

"Duh!" Lovina pulled her door out of the way and revealed a large calendar, the date was circled in red marker, two girls were drawn inside the circle, smiling and holding hands, one had the same large curl Lovina did, the other was holding a tomato.

"Oh, Roma! Did you draw us?"

"That's not the point!"

"Antonio said you were using the stove without me..."

"I was gonna make you dinner." she confessed.

"And the windows?"

"You like the sunshine." she mumbled, deciding to skip the detail about bad egg smells.

"Oh, Roma!" she gushed, jumping up and hugging her tightly. "Gracias, mi tomate*!"

"Si." Lovina nodded.

The two picked tomatoes happily, though Lovina needed some major help with the heavy baskets, since she had insisted on taking four by herself.

When all the tomatoes were washed and left on the counters, they both fell asleep on the couch, remote still clutched in Lovina's hands, and her dress stained with dirt at the knees.


End file.
